Hopping corpse
Encyclopedia
A jiang shi, also spelled jiangshi or chiang-shih (in Wades-Giles), and also known as a Chinese "hopping" vampire
or zombie
, is a type of reanimated corpses in Chinese legends and folklore. "Jiangshi" is read as Gangshi in Korean
and Kyonshī in Japanese
. According to legend, in the day, the jiangshi rests in a coffin or hides in dark places such as caves. At night, it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi
(life essence).
scholar Ji Xiaolan
mentioned in his book Yuewei Caotang Biji (閱微草堂筆記) that the causes of a corpse being reanimated can be classified in two groups: a recently deceased person returning to life, and a long buried corpse not decomposing. Some causes are described below:
, as with corpses that have been in a state of decay over a period of time). A peculiar feature is its greenish-white skin; one theory is that this is derived from fungus
or mold
growing on corpses. It is said to have long white hair all over its head and may behave like animals. The influence of Western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in more modern times in combination with the concept of the hungry ghost
, though traditionally they act more like western zombies.
" , where traveling companions or family members who could not afford wagons or had very little money would hire Taoist
priests to transport corpses who died far away from home by teaching them to hop on their own feet back to their hometown for proper burial. The priests would transport the corpses only at night and ring bells to notify other pedestrians of their presence because it was considered bad luck for a living person to set eyes upon a jiangshi. This practice Xiangxi ganshi was popular in Xiangxi, where many people left their hometown to work elsewhere. After they died, their corpses were transported back to their rural hometown using long bamboo rods, believing they would be homesick if buried somewhere unfamiliar. When the bamboo flexed up and down, the corpses appeared to be hopping in unison from a distance. Once, it was a myth.
Two oral accounts of transporting corpses are included in Liao Yiwu
's The Corpse Walker. One account describes how corpses would be transported by a two-man team. One would carry the corpse on his back with a large robe covering both of them and a mourning mask on top. The other man would walk ahead with a lantern and warn his companion about obstacles ahead of him. The lantern was used as a visual guide for the corpse carrier to follow since they could not see with the robe covering them. It is speculated in the accounts in the book that corpses would be carried at night to avoid contact with people and the cooler air would be more suitable to transporting bodies.
Some people speculate that the stories about jiangshi were originally made up by smugglers who disguised their illegal activities as corpse transportation and wanted to scare off law enforcement officers.
during the 1980s, primarily due to the films of Sammo Hung
, including Encounters of the Spooky Kind
(1980), and the Mr. Vampire franchise, which started in 1985 with Mr. Vampire
and its four sequels, all of which were directed by Ricky Lau.
In the films, jiangshi can be put to sleep by putting a piece of yellow paper with a spell written on it on their foreheads (Chinese talisman or fu; ). Generally in the movies the jiangshi are dressed in Qing Dynasty
official robes, their arms permanently outstretched due to rigor mortis. Like those depicted in Western movies, they tend to appear with outrageously long tongues and long razor sharp black fingernails. They can be evaded by holding one's breath, as they track living creatures by detecting their breathing. They are blind, and lack knowledge.
Because it usually takes decades for a unattended resentful corpse to become a jiangshi, they are usually depicted wearing attire identified with the previous dynasty. Their modern visual depiction as horrific Qing Dynasty officials may have been derived by the anti-Manchu or anti-Qing sentiment
s of the Han Chinese
population during the Qing Dynasty, as the officials were viewed as bloodthirsty creatures with little regard for humanity.
It is also the conventional wisdom of feng shui
in Chinese architecture that a threshold , a piece of wood approximately 15 cm (6 in) high, be installed along the width of the door at the bottom to prevent a jiangshi from entering the household. Glutinous rice
(sticky rice) is believed to draw the evil spirit of the jiangshi out. In the film Mr. Vampire, only sticky rice works, and mixing it with regular rice diminishes its effectiveness. Furthermore, the glutinous rice must be in its uncooked form for it to be effective. Other items used to repel jiangshi in films include chicken's eggs (whereas duck's eggs are ineffective), and the blood of a black dog.
Other appearances of jiangshi in Hong Kong cinema include the 2005 comedy film Dragon Reloaded, where the three protagonists accidentally destroy a village tomb, successfully resurrect the corpse and command it. The jiangshi is shown dressed in Qing Dynasty official robes and moves by hopping. The Jitters, a 1989 American film, focused on mayhem involving a jiangshi getting loose in the United States.
In Crazy Safari, part of the The Gods Must Be Crazy
series, a jiangshi is set loose in a Namibian village, with hilarious consequences.
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
or zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
, is a type of reanimated corpses in Chinese legends and folklore. "Jiangshi" is read as Gangshi in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and Kyonshī in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. According to legend, in the day, the jiangshi rests in a coffin or hides in dark places such as caves. At night, it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi
Qi
In traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
(life essence).
How a jiangshi is created
Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
scholar Ji Xiaolan
Ji Xiaolan
Ji Yun , also known as Ji Xiaolan or Ji Chunfan is a well-known scholar in the Qing Dynasty's history and many anecdotes have been recorded about him. Ji Yun left behind a book entitled Notes of the Thatched Abode of Close Observations, and another book named Wenda Gong Yiji Ji Yun , also known...
mentioned in his book Yuewei Caotang Biji (閱微草堂筆記) that the causes of a corpse being reanimated can be classified in two groups: a recently deceased person returning to life, and a long buried corpse not decomposing. Some causes are described below:
- The chemical composition of the burial ground is unsuitable for living organisms, so bacteria is not present to help in the decaying process. The corpse's hair and nails appear to be growing and there are no evident signs of decomposition. If not dealt with, the corpse will eventually become a jiangshi over time. (In fact, a corpse's flesh will actually contract and withdraw, so hair and nails originally concealed under the flesh become more exposed, creating an illusion of "growing" hair and nails.)
- The use of supernatural arts to resurrect the dead.
- Spirit possession of a dead body.
- A corpse absorbs sufficient yangYin and yangIn Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
qiQiIn traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
to return to life.
- A person's body is governed by three hunHun and poHun and po are types of souls in Chinese philosophy and religion. Within this ancient soul dualism tradition, every living human has both a hun spiritual, ethereal, and yang soul that leaves the body after death and a po corporeal, substantive, and yin soul that remains with the corpse...
s and seven pos. Qing Dynasty scholar Yuan MeiYuan MeiYuan Mei was a well-known poet, scholar, artist, and gastronome of the Qing Dynasty.Yuan Mei was born in Qiantang , Zhejiang province, to a cultured family who had never before attained high office. He achieved the degree of jinshi in 1739 at the young age of 23, was immediately appointed to the...
's book Zi Bu YuZi Bu YuZi Bu Yu is a collection of allegedly true supernatural stories compiled by Qing Dynasty scholar and writer Yuan Mei . Literally Zi Bu Yu means "what Confucius did not speak of" which refers to the saying "Confucius did not speak of strange events, violence, riots and supernatural things" from...
mentioned that "A person's hun is good but his po is evil, his hun is intelligent but his po is foolish". The hun leaves his body after death but his po remains and takes control of the body, so the dead person becomes a jiangshi.
- The dead person is not buried even after a funeral has been held. The corpse comes to life after it is struck by a bolt of lightning, or when a pregnant cat (or black cat in some tales) leaps across the coffin.
- When a person's soul fails to leave the deceased's body, due to improper death, suicide, or just wanting to cause trouble.
- A victim of premature burialPremature burialPremature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive. Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally or intentionally...
.
- A person injured by a jiangshi is infected with the "jiangshi virus" and gradually morphs into a jiangshi over time, as seen in the Mr. VampireMr. VampireMr. Vampire, also known as Geung-si Sin-sang, is a 1985 Hong Kong comedy horror film directed by Ricky Lau and produced by Sammo Hung. The film's box office success led to the creation of a Mr...
films.
Appearance
Generally, a jiangshi's appearance can range from unremarkable (as in the case of a recently deceased person) to horrifying (rotting flesh, rigor mortisRigor mortis
Rigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate...
, as with corpses that have been in a state of decay over a period of time). A peculiar feature is its greenish-white skin; one theory is that this is derived from fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
or mold
Mold
Molds are fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. Molds are not considered to be microbes but microscopic fungi that grow as single cells called yeasts...
growing on corpses. It is said to have long white hair all over its head and may behave like animals. The influence of Western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in more modern times in combination with the concept of the hungry ghost
Hungry ghost
Hungry ghost is a Western translation of Chinese , a concept in Chinese Buddhism and Chinese traditional religion representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way....
, though traditionally they act more like western zombies.
Methods and items used to counter jiangshis
- Mirror: Li ShizhenLi ShizhenLi Shizhen , courtesy name Dongbi , was one of the greatest Chinese herbologists and acupuncturists in Chinese history. His major contribution to medicine was his 27-year work, which is found in his epic book the Bencao Gangmu...
's medical book Bencao Gangmu mentioned, "A mirror is the essence of liquid metal. It is dark on the external but bright inside." (鏡乃金水之精，內明外暗。) Jiangshis are also said to be terrified of their own reflections.
- Peach wood branch or peach wood sword: The Jingchu Suishi Ji (荊楚歲時記) mentioned, "Peach is the essence of the Five Elements. It can subjugate evil auras and deter ghosts." (桃者，五行之精，能厭服邪氣，制御百鬼。)
- A rooster's call: Yuan MeiYuan MeiYuan Mei was a well-known poet, scholar, artist, and gastronome of the Qing Dynasty.Yuan Mei was born in Qiantang , Zhejiang province, to a cultured family who had never before attained high office. He achieved the degree of jinshi in 1739 at the young age of 23, was immediately appointed to the...
's book Zi Bu YuZi Bu YuZi Bu Yu is a collection of allegedly true supernatural stories compiled by Qing Dynasty scholar and writer Yuan Mei . Literally Zi Bu Yu means "what Confucius did not speak of" which refers to the saying "Confucius did not speak of strange events, violence, riots and supernatural things" from...
mentioned, "Ghosts withdraw when they hear a rooster's call" (鬼聞雞鳴即縮。).
- JujubeJujubeZiziphus zizyphus , commonly called jujube , red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, used primarily as a fruiting shade tree.-Distribution:Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation,...
seeds: Zi Bu Yu mentioned, "Nail seven jujube seeds into the acupointAcupuncture pointAcupuncture points are locations on the body that are the focus of acupuncture, acupressure, sonopuncture and laser acupuncture treatment. Several hundred acupuncture points are considered to be located along meridians...
s on a corpse's back" (棗核七枚，釘入屍脊背穴。).
- Fire: Zi Bu Yu mentioned, "When set on fire, the sound of crackling flames, blood rushes forth and bones cry." (放火燒之，嘖嘖之聲，血湧骨鳴。)
- Hoofs of a black donkey: Mentioned in Zhang Muye's fantasy novel Ghost Blows Out the LightGhost Blows Out the LightGhost Blows Out the Light , also referred to as Candle in the Tomb, is a fantasy novel written by Zhang Muye about two grave robbers seeking hidden treasure, and first published online in March 2006...
- Vinegar: Mentioned by coroners in eastern FujianFujian' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
- Ba gua sign
- I ChingI ChingThe I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
- Tong Shu
- Glutinous riceGlutinous riceGlutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice, and pulut) is a...
, rice chaff - Azuki beanAzuki beanThe is an annual vine, Vigna angularis, widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small bean. The cultivars most familiar in north-east Asia have a uniform red color, but white, black, gray and variously mottled varieties are also known. Scientists presume Vigna angularis var...
s - Handbell
- Thread stained with black ink
- Blood of a black dog
- Stonemason's awl
- Axe
- Broom
Origins of jiangshi stories
A supposed source of the jiangshi stories came from the folk practice of "transporting a corpse over a thousand liLi (unit)
The li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which has varied considerably over time but now has a standardized length of 500 meters or half a kilometer...
" , where traveling companions or family members who could not afford wagons or had very little money would hire Taoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
priests to transport corpses who died far away from home by teaching them to hop on their own feet back to their hometown for proper burial. The priests would transport the corpses only at night and ring bells to notify other pedestrians of their presence because it was considered bad luck for a living person to set eyes upon a jiangshi. This practice Xiangxi ganshi was popular in Xiangxi, where many people left their hometown to work elsewhere. After they died, their corpses were transported back to their rural hometown using long bamboo rods, believing they would be homesick if buried somewhere unfamiliar. When the bamboo flexed up and down, the corpses appeared to be hopping in unison from a distance. Once, it was a myth.
Two oral accounts of transporting corpses are included in Liao Yiwu
Liao Yiwu
Liao Yiwu , is a Chinese author, reporter, musician, and poet. He is acritic of China's Communist regime, for which he has been imprisoned...
's The Corpse Walker. One account describes how corpses would be transported by a two-man team. One would carry the corpse on his back with a large robe covering both of them and a mourning mask on top. The other man would walk ahead with a lantern and warn his companion about obstacles ahead of him. The lantern was used as a visual guide for the corpse carrier to follow since they could not see with the robe covering them. It is speculated in the accounts in the book that corpses would be carried at night to avoid contact with people and the cooler air would be more suitable to transporting bodies.
Some people speculate that the stories about jiangshi were originally made up by smugglers who disguised their illegal activities as corpse transportation and wanted to scare off law enforcement officers.
Film
Jiangshi became a popular subject in Hong Kong filmsCinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
during the 1980s, primarily due to the films of Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
, including Encounters of the Spooky Kind
Encounters of the Spooky Kind
Encounters of the Spooky Kind is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy horror film written, choreographed, directed by and starring Sammo Hung. The film was produced by Hung's production company Bo Ho Film Company.It was released as Spooky Encounters in the US...
(1980), and the Mr. Vampire franchise, which started in 1985 with Mr. Vampire
Mr. Vampire
Mr. Vampire, also known as Geung-si Sin-sang, is a 1985 Hong Kong comedy horror film directed by Ricky Lau and produced by Sammo Hung. The film's box office success led to the creation of a Mr...
and its four sequels, all of which were directed by Ricky Lau.
In the films, jiangshi can be put to sleep by putting a piece of yellow paper with a spell written on it on their foreheads (Chinese talisman or fu; ). Generally in the movies the jiangshi are dressed in Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
official robes, their arms permanently outstretched due to rigor mortis. Like those depicted in Western movies, they tend to appear with outrageously long tongues and long razor sharp black fingernails. They can be evaded by holding one's breath, as they track living creatures by detecting their breathing. They are blind, and lack knowledge.
Because it usually takes decades for a unattended resentful corpse to become a jiangshi, they are usually depicted wearing attire identified with the previous dynasty. Their modern visual depiction as horrific Qing Dynasty officials may have been derived by the anti-Manchu or anti-Qing sentiment
Anti-Qing sentiment
thumb|[[Sun Yat-sen]], one of the leaders of the [[Xinhai Revolution]] which overthrew the Qing dynasty in 1912. Photo taken in 1907Anti-Qing sentiment refers to a sentiment principally held in China against the Manchu ruling during Qing Dynasty , which was often resented for being foreign and...
s of the Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
population during the Qing Dynasty, as the officials were viewed as bloodthirsty creatures with little regard for humanity.
It is also the conventional wisdom of feng shui
Feng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
in Chinese architecture that a threshold , a piece of wood approximately 15 cm (6 in) high, be installed along the width of the door at the bottom to prevent a jiangshi from entering the household. Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice, and pulut) is a...
(sticky rice) is believed to draw the evil spirit of the jiangshi out. In the film Mr. Vampire, only sticky rice works, and mixing it with regular rice diminishes its effectiveness. Furthermore, the glutinous rice must be in its uncooked form for it to be effective. Other items used to repel jiangshi in films include chicken's eggs (whereas duck's eggs are ineffective), and the blood of a black dog.
Other appearances of jiangshi in Hong Kong cinema include the 2005 comedy film Dragon Reloaded, where the three protagonists accidentally destroy a village tomb, successfully resurrect the corpse and command it. The jiangshi is shown dressed in Qing Dynasty official robes and moves by hopping. The Jitters, a 1989 American film, focused on mayhem involving a jiangshi getting loose in the United States.
In Crazy Safari, part of the The Gods Must Be Crazy
The Gods Must Be Crazy
The Gods Must Be Crazy is a 1980 film, written and directed by Jamie Uys. The film is the first in The Gods Must Be Crazy series of films. Set in Botswana and South Africa, it tells the story of Xi, a Sho of the Kalahari Desert whose band has no knowledge of the world beyond...
series, a jiangshi is set loose in a Namibian village, with hilarious consequences.
Television
- A jiangshi was featured in the second season of Jackie Chan AdventuresJackie Chan AdventuresJackie Chan Adventures is an animated television series chronicling the adventures of a fictionalized version of action film star Jackie Chan. Many of the episodes contain references to Chan's actual works. This series ran on Kids' WB! from September 9, 2000 to July 7, 2005 for a total of 95...
where the qiQiIn traditional Chinese culture, qì is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as life energy, lifeforce, or energy flow. Qi is the central underlying principle in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts...
of almost all the main characters were sucked out and rearranged in different bodies to produce a running gag in the episode.
- The protagonists: Sid Tobey and Sue from Three DeliveryThree DeliveryThree Delivery is an American animated sitcom and action adventure, inspired by kung-fu movies. It is created by Larry Schwarz, who also created similar series, Kappa Mikey and Speed Racer: The Next Generation. It is a collaboration between Animation Collective in Manhattan, New York and the...
encounter jiangshis that were resurrected by an old man trying to bring back his dead brother by using the Hop-Sing Shrimp cooking recipe. In this episode, the jiangshis hop, suck out the soul through breath and can be warded off with sticky rice, and be completely killed by drawing a Chinese symbol on a yellow piece of paper and throw it into the cooking pot in which the recipe was made, also in this there is only one good jiangshi that can show you the symbol to write and if the spell is not reversed by midnight, the jiangshi will stay on Earth forever.
- In the Japanese Super SentaiSuper SentaiThe is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
series Juken Sentai GekirangerJuken Sentai Gekirangeris Toei Company's thirty-first entry in the Super Sentai franchise. Production began on September 29, 2006 with principal photography beginning on October 6, 2006. It premiered on TV Asahi on February 18, 2007, and concluded its airing on February 10, 2008...
and its Americanized counterpart in the Power RangersPower RangersPower Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
series Power Rangers Jungle Fury the Rinshi and their higher rank forms Rinrinshi (Gekiranger) / Rinshi Beasts (Power Rangers: Jungle Fury) are based on the jiangshi.
- During one episode of the animated series My Life as a Teenage RobotMy Life as a Teenage RobotMy Life as a Teenage Robot is an American animated television series, created by Rob Renzetti for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of XJ-9, better known as Jenny Wakeman, a female robot designed to protect Earth, who is excessively addicted to teen-related activities, which are almost...
, Jenny fights hopping vampires. As a joke, a bop on the head (Jenny even defeats one by sitting on it) is all it takes to defeat them.
- In the monsters special of the television contest Takeshi's CastleTakeshi's Castlewas a Japanese game show that aired between 1986 and 1989 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It featured the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano as a count who owns a castle and sets up impossible challenges for players to get to him. The show has become a cult television hit around the world...
, one of the sideshows is disguised as a jiangshi.
- Rin Azuma, in the 2008 anime series Yozakura QuartetYozakura Quartetis a Japanese manga created by Suzuhito Yasuda that began publishing by Kodansha in 2006, and was then published in the US by Del Rey in 2008. The series was animated in Japan and began airing on October 2, 2008; it comprises 12 episodes, all of which have aired. The anime was produced by Nomad and...
, is a 15 year old jiangshi. She moves to the fictional town of Sakurashin, a place where humans and youkai co-exist with one another, after being bullied by humans at her former school. She wears a yellow talisman on her forehead until exchanging it for a tulip shaped name tag.
- The My Date with a VampireMy Date with a VampireMy Date with a Vampire is a 1998 Hong Kong television series produced by ATV. It was followed by My Date with a Vampire II and My Date with a Vampire III . The drama starred Eric Wan and Joey Meng in the leading roles. The plot is based on future events of the story in Vampire Expert, a similar...
trilogy produced by Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
's ATVAsia Television LimitedAsia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong...
. The television drama blended aspects of Western vampires with jiangshi, injecting elements of ancient Chinese mythology and modern horror legends. Eric Wan played a World War II guerilla fighter who becomes a jiangshi after being bitten by the Vampire King. He lives until the present-day and starts a romance with an heiress (played by Joey Meng) to a family of ghostbusters. The drama was well-received and was key to ATV's triumph over its rival TVBTelevision Broadcasts LimitedTelevision Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the second over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967...
.
- The Fangire from Kamen Rider KivaKamen Rider Kivais the title of the 2008 Kamen Rider Japanese tokusatsu television series produced by Toei Company and Ishimori Productions. It premiered on January 27, 2008, following the finale of Kamen Rider Den-O. It aired as a part of TV Asahi's 2008 Super Hero Time block with Engine Sentai Go-onger...
are vampires who feed off the victims life force like the jiangshi.
Theatre
- During Tokyo DisneySeaTokyo DisneySeais a 176-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside Tokyo. It opened on September 4, 2001. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo DisneySea attracted an estimated 12 million visitors in...
's 2009 Halloween show Mysterious Masquerade, Chip and Dale are possessed by a ghost that lives in a Chinese gong and turned into jiangshis. Shortly after being transformed, they are joined by several more jiangshis, which proceed to separate Minnie Mouse from Mickey Mouse in order for her to become a host for the ghost that lives in an Egyptian Sphinx.
Literature
- Two jiangshi brothers appear in the original graphic novel The New Brighton Archeological SocietyThe New Brighton Archeological SocietyThe New Brighton Archeological Society is an original graphic novel series of books written by Mark Andrew Smith & illustrated by Matthew Weldon. The first volume, titled "The Castle of Galomar" debuted in March 2009...
who are related to the two main protagonists in the series. The jiangshis guard the main villain's castle from intruders and the two main characters must break into the castle to take some maps that allow them to find the locations of books of magic.
- A jiangshi appeared in the novel Anno DraculaAnno Dracula (novel)Anno Dracula is a 1992 novel by British writer Kim Newman, the first in the Anno Dracula series. It is an alternate history using 19th century English historical settings and personalities, along with characters from popular fiction...
working for Fu ManchuFu ManchuDr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century...
.
Games
- In the World of DarknessWorld of Darkness"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
setting, the jiangshi are known as the Kuei-JinKindred of the EastKindred of the East is a role-playing supplement by White Wolf Game Studio to their Vampire: The Masquerade line. The vanguard of White Wolf's "Year of the Lotus" theme , this rich sourcebook is a stand-alone setting, requiring only secondary rules to be fully playable...
.
- The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card GameYu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card GameThe is a Japanese collectible card game developed and published by Konami. It is based on the fictional game of Duel Monsters created by manga artist Kazuki Takahashi, which is the main plot device during the majority of his popular manga franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and its various anime adaptations...
has a monster card called "Master Kyonshee", though kyonshi is misspelled in both its name and flavor text possibly to remove any religious association from the card.
Video games
- In Darkstalkers, the character Hsien-Ko is a jiangshi.
- Hopping praying mantises emulate jiangshi in Sly 3: Honor Among ThievesSly 3: Honor Among ThievesSly 3: Honor Among Thieves is a platform stealth video game developed by Sucker Punch Productions for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. It is the third game in the Sly Cooper franchise. Sly 3 has optional 3-D stages, and it comes with a pair of specially designed 3-D glasses inside the manual...
.
- The monsters Bongun, Munak, and Hyegun in the game Ragnarok OnlineRagnarok OnlineRagnarok Online , often referred to as RO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG created by GRAVITY Co., Ltd. based on the manhwa Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin. It was first released in South Korea on 31 August 2002 for Microsoft Windows and has since been released in many other...
are jiangshi, with Bongun wearing blue garb and being male, and Munak wearing red and being female, Hyegun are also male but they wear brown. They bounce continuously, and attack with their stiff arms.
- In Castlevania: Order of EcclesiaCastlevania: Order of EcclesiaCastlevania: Order of Ecclesia, known in Japan as , is the third Nintendo DS installment of the Castlevania franchise, developed by longtime Castlevania developer Koji Igarashi.-Gameplay:...
, a jiangshi appears as an optional boss. The player can obtain a glyph from this boss, allowing Shanoa to summon jiangshis as familiars.
- In Alex Kidd in the Enchanted CastleAlex Kidd in the Enchanted Castleis a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis video game console. The game was released in Japan in February 1989, North and South America in August 1989 and in Europe on November 1990...
, a few jiangshis can be encountered in hidden underground areas, such as the underground area of the first level.
- A 1989 game for the NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, called Phantom FighterPhantom Fighteris a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989 in Japan, and in April 1990 in the United States. The Japanese version is based on the 1985 film, Mr. Vampire . As a kung-fu master, the player must fight through eight towns filled with Kyonshi...
, involves a protagonist who must fight through eight towns filled with jiangshis.
- The Pionpi enemies of the Chai Kingdom from Super Mario LandSuper Mario Landis a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
are based on these entities.
- Kung Fu Kid, a game for the Sega Master SystemSega Master SystemThe is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
, features jiangshis as enemies.
- SpelunkySpelunkySpelunky is an indie action adventure game created by Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. The player controls a spelunker who explores a series of caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, and dodging traps. Version 1.0 was released on 1 September 2009,...
, an indieIndependent video game developmentIndependent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
action adventure game for Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
features jiangshis among its enemies.
- The 2001 PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game Fear Effect 2: Retro HelixFear Effect 2: Retro HelixFear Effect 2: Retro Helix is an action-adventure game for the PlayStation in 2001. It was developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Eidos Interactive. Fear Effect 2 is a prequel chronicling the events that lead up to the original Fear Effect...
features jiangshis in the Xi'an level. They make high-pitched sounds and dart after your character, inflicting damage.
- In Super Street Fighter IVSuper Street Fighter IVis a 2010 fighting game produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of Street Fighter IV and has been said to mark the definitive end of the Street Fighter IV series. Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a standalone title, but given a lower price...
, the character RufusRufus (Street Fighter)is a fictional character in the Street Fighter series of video games. Designed by Daigo Ikeno for Capcom's development team, he first appeared in the arcade version of Street Fighter IV and later in related promotions and media for the title. A very large, overweight martial artist, Rufus seeks to...
wears traditional jiangshi garb as an alternate costume.
- An enemy in Kingdom Hearts IIKingdom Hearts IIis an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, the Nightwalker, strongly resembles the jiangshis, and is in fact based on them.
- In Ten DesiresTen Desiresis the thirteenth main game of the Touhou Project scrolling shooter series made by the dōjin game maker Team Shanghai Alice. Due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, the initial release of the demo was delayed. Instead, the demo was released for free download on April 16, 2011 with the physical copy...
, the 13th game in the Touhou ProjectTouhou ProjectThe , also known as Toho Project or Project Shrine Maiden, is a Japanese dōjin game series focused on bullet hell shooters made by the one-man developer Team Shanghai Alice, whose sole member, known as ZUN, is responsible for all the graphics, music, and programming for the most part...
series, Yoshika Miyako, the third stage boss, is a kyonshi.
Manga and anime
- In Shaman KingShaman Kingis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. Shaman King follows the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King in the Shaman tournament....
, Tao Jun and her clan control jiangshis, using them as living weapons that serve as bodyguards and enforcers.
- In Rosario + VampireRosario + Vampire, often shortened to , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihisa Ikeda. The story revolves around Tsukune Aono, a boy who accidentally gets enrolled in a school inhabited by monsters and demons. He quickly befriends Moka Akashiya, a vampire who soon develops an obsession with...
: Season II, Ling-Ling Wong is a jiangshi and also commands her own personal army of jiangshis.
- In Yozakura Quartet, Rin Azuma is a jiangshi (seen above under Television).
- In "Princess Jellyfish", Tsukimi Kurashita briefly imitates a jiangshi.
Other
- Taiwanese singer Jay ChouJay ChouJay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...
featured jiangshis in one of his music videos, Bencao Gangmu (本草綱目). - In Taiwanese black metalBlack metalBlack metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band ChthonicChthonic (band)Chthonic is a Taiwanese metal band, formed in 1995 in Taipei. The group incorporates influences from traditional Taiwanese music including the classical Asian instrument erhu...
, one of the band members wears corpse paint to make himself look like a jiangshi, and another, the pianist wears a cloth with a spell on it around his head.
See also
- Chinese mythologyChinese mythologyChinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
- Chinese ghostsChinese ghostsThe following is a list of supernatural beings in Chinese folklore and fictional culture, originating from traditional folk culture as well as contemporary literature such as Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. This list only contains common supernatural beings who are inherently "evil" in...
- ChupacabraChupacabraThe chupacabras is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in Puerto Rico , Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities...
- Medieval revenantMedieval revenantA revenant is a visible ghost or animated corpse that was believed to return from the grave to terrorize the living. The word "revenant" is derived from the Latin word, revenans, "returning", from the verb "revenire"; in French, "revenant" means "coming back", from the verb "revenir", meaning "to...
- UndeadUndeadUndead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
- VetalaVetalaA vetala is a ghost-like being from Hindu mythology. The vetala are defined as spirits inhabiting corpses and charnel grounds...
- YokaiYokaiare a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "otherworldly" and "weird". Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them...
- YentaYentaYenta or Yente is a Yiddish female name which is used generically for an old gossip.In the age of Yiddish theater, it started referring to a busybody or gossipmonger. The word has since become Yinglish . In the 1920s Yenta was first popularized by a famous humorist, Jacob Adler, writing under his...
- YureiYureiare figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 , meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 , meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け...